


10 steps to win your co-chancellor's heart

by Blizzaurus



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Denial, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Mutual Pining, all the usual stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-21 03:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10677051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blizzaurus/pseuds/Blizzaurus
Summary: In an alternative season 3 where Clarke never leaves, there is no conflict between grounder clans, Pike never surfaces and  consequently no exterior forces drive Abby and Marcus together, they find themselves stuck in deep denial.This is the story of how they slowly let themselves love each other. But first they have to deal with unexpected feelings, awkward situations, merciless teasing by the delinquents, mixed signals, accidental touches, thick sexual tension, love epiphanies at the worst possible moments, technicalities of wooing and the sweet torture of falling for someone right under your nose.(Forgive me for all the shameless fluff.)





	1. Step 1: That tentative friendship you have carefully built up? Ruin it.

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes:  
> \- Marcus was elected as a Chancellor without Pike's interference. Abby acts as an unofficial Co-Chancellor and no one feels the need to question that.  
> \- despite being a Chancellor, Marcus has some problems demonstrating authority over the kids, who see him now more as a camp dad  
> \- they have started to grow grain and fruit in the camp.  
> \- Jaha is still away in Becca's island. He will show up in a later chapter (don't worry though, CoL is not happening)  
> \- actually there is no canon plot at all, just fluff  
> \- Murphy has run away with Emori. They're both very happy.  
> \- The long peace has made it easier for Jasper to cope with Maya's loss. He is starting to enjoy life again.  
> \- According to my personal headcanon, Jackson is fiercely protective of Abby  
> \- I made weird amount of research on water barrels for this chapter.
> 
> I hope you love reading this as much as I loved writing it!
> 
> In this denial-filled chapter:  
> There is a happy reunion. Jackson makes a bold remark, throwing Abby for a loop. Marcus gets the impression that he is bad at picking presents. The delinquents get roped into an unpleasant group activity and witness some hypocrisy. Abby and Marcus experience a weird moment. Bellamy makes a bad decision. Nobody is sure which man they ought to tease more.

With every knock on the door, Abby's heart leaped.

And every time Jackson opened the door and led another patient in, a bubble of anticipation in her chest burst and an odd sense of disappointment crept in.

Marcus should be back by now.

A while back, they had encountered a potential ally at their borders and their Chancellor had gone on a two-week mission to establish relations with a grounder clan called Azgeda. When the trip had been extended with another week, Abby had found herself surprisingly annoyed by her new-found friend's absence.

Marcus Kane _. A friend_ , she mouthed.  _Who would've thought?_

Just a few months ago Abby would have been happy to have him gone and have some room to breathe. Their relationship had been so loaded at the time that just one wrong word would have sent them both at each other's throats.

But now Abby needed him. Running the camp as a de facto co-Chancellor was certainly not an easy task alone, but his company was what Abby missed the most. She felt hollowness in her chest every time she saw that Marcus would not be here to share a meal with her and rest his chin on his palm, listening carefully while she released one by one the thoughts filling her head. 

It is nice to have an ally in this world, Abby had grown to realize.

The clock ticked and Abby's stomach growled. Without Marcus, it was difficult to keep track of meal times. At busy days he had been used to bringing her food to the medical just to make sure she ate. But now she actually had to force herself to leave and grab breakfast.

Just after finishing these reports.

There was another knock on the door and Abby started, her head jerking around. Jackson looked at her with eyebrows raised. Abby turned her attention back to the datapad, flustered, and let Jackson open the door.

After exchanging some mumbled words with the visitor Jackson called out Abby.

"It's the Chancellor."

The knot in Abby's stomach became loose. Trying to look unaffected by the news, she slowly looked up from her monitor. "Hm?"

"Kane is back. He wants to discuss some important matters with you."

Abby let out a tiny smile.

_Important matters. A code for breakfast._

When Marcus actually had something urgent, he usually stormed into the med bay without knocking, strode over to her and practically abducted her to the war room.

Absent-mindedly, she pulled out her hair tie, letting her hair cascade freely on her shoulders. "Tell him to come in," she said and glanced at her reflection from the blackened screen of the datapad.

Abby waited, but didn't hear the door creak. She looked up and saw Jackson staring at her with a creased forehead.

"What?" Abby huffed. Jackson said nothing, just turned to walk back to the door. Anxiety filled Abby's chest.

"Actually, let me get that," she said and jumped up from her seat. Before Jackson could protest she dashed by him. She opened the door in a swift motion as if Marcus would disappear behind it if she was not quick enough.

And there he was, blinking at Abby in surprise.

Surprise was quickly replaced with joy when a dazzling smile started spreading across his face at the sight of her. Hair and beard a little bit longer, clothes weather-worn and eyes weary, but still the same Marcus.

"I come bearing gifts," he said and dangled two bags from his hand. Abby snatched one and opened it. The wonderful smell of fresh fruits and warm bread filled her nostrils and she sighed happily. She hadn't even realized how starving she had been.

"All the way from the kitchen. I picked out something on the way here, figured you would be hungry by now," he chuckled.

Abby had already fished out a small loaf of bread and stuffed it halfway into her mouth.

"Thank you so much. Marcus, you're my hero," she mumbled. 

And he was smiling that ridiculous smile of his and Abby realized how truly empty it had been without him. For a moment Abby just wanted to loop her arms around his neck and bury her face into his chest. But she was not sure if they were _there_ yet. Even resting a comforting hand on Marcus's shoulder made him jump almost five feet into the air. This far all the physical affection Abby had shown him ended up being awkward at best.

She didn't know what else to do so she just started gesturing wildly at him while munching the bread.

"You're back."

"It seems so," he grinned.

"I—"

She could feel Jackson's and half of the patients' eyes boring into her back. They needed to take their reunion somewhere else. 

"Supply closet?"

"Supply closet." Marcus confirmed.

She guided him to the back of the med bay where there was a small door. They squeezed into the small space behind it, bumping against each other each other until they found their usual places: Marcus leaning against the wall, Abby half-sitting on the cabinet.

It was the only place where they could eat and discuss in peace when Abby was too busy to leave the medical. Being surrounded by cleaning equipment in a cramped closet was not, however, an ideal way to enjoy your meals. They could just as well spend their breaks apart in a far more pleasant environment, bolt down something fast and proceed with their respective duties. But that would disrupt the peaceful routine they had built together over the months. And Abby was not willing to let go of it.

"So—"

"So."

A silence fell between them. But it was not one of those tense silences they used to have months ago. They fumbled with their own bags, glancing at each other and sharing small smiles. It was a warm, comfortable silence, the kind you could wrap yourself into and never want to leave. The air was filled with palpable relief and joy of seeing each other again left unvoiced.

"How was your trip?" Abby finally asked.

"Cold. Uncomfortable. Got kicked by a donkey on the way back."

Abby giggled and the corner of Marcus's mouth tugged upwards. 

"But the mission was successful, and the details I'm going to go over more thoroughly in our next council meeting." 

"I'm glad you're back. It's been chaos. There was a flu going around, Jasper tried to tame a wild horse and almost got trampled, a tree fell over the shower stalls at the back of the camp and just yesterday the rover broke down."

"So I've been missed," Marcus said and took a bite of an apple.

"Well ye—," Abby paused, realizing what he was getting at. "Are you really going to make me say it?"

Now that smug smirk was back on his face. The one that used to send her up the wall. But now framed with his scruffy bread and warm eyes, it was rather endearing, if just a little bit infuriating.

"Fine. I missed you," she choked out.

"I certainly spared you a thought every now and then too," he said, trying to suppress his impish grin.

Abby smiled and looked down. Both grew silent again. 

If somebody had said a year ago that she would be silently eating breakfast with Kane in a cramped supply closet and enjoying every second of it, she would have checked that person in for a brain scan.

Long gone were the days when she would rather skip going to the Ark's dining hall altogether just to avoid locking eyes with him, especially after a heated council debate.

"And about the rover—" he started.

"Raven is on it. It should be functioning again tomorrow," Abby said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"But today is the refill day."

Abby slapped a hand on her forehead. "Dammit. I forgot."

They kept the water needed for drinking, cleaning and cooking in large barriers while Raven and Sinclair were figuring out how to draw a water pipe to the camp that would give them water straight from the river. Every first Sunday of the month their water supply was running low and the barrels needed to be refilled with clean water. The rover was used to transport them from the river. 

"What are we going to do now?"

Marcus was stroking his jaw, deep in thought.

"Well, we need water. So waiting is out of the question. I guess we have to do it the traditional way. Physical labor."

Abby raised her brow.

"I saw dozens of teens idle on the camp grounds. If we get them all pulling the barrels in carts the job shouldn't take much time," Marcus explained.

"But the barrels are so heavy—," Abby worried.

"We don't have to fill them to the brim. Besides, little activity wouldn't do them harm. Most of them have been just lying in the sun the whole day, ignoring their other tasks."

It was the first hot day in months and the kids had been treating it as an unofficial vacation day. Abby had even passed Clarke early in the morning laying on the grass, sunbathing with only a bra on next to Bellamy. Abby had nudged the boy with her foot and order him to lay at least 10 feet farther from her daughter. It was meant to be a joke but all Abby earned was a warning glare from Clarke. 

"You can be the one to tell them," Abby said, crossing her arms.

Marcus nodded. It was amazing how quickly they agreed on matters nowadays. A couple of weeks ago, Sinclair had burst out laughing when he had seen them reappearing from the council room just after five minutes when the placement of the water pipe was in order to be decided.

Abby certainly enjoyed this new development. All the arguing had made her miss the immense kindness, loyalty and bravery one man could keep hidden in himself.

"But I need you overlooking the work."

"Ah, medical assistance." Abby could already picture in her mind someone like Jasper accidentally crushing himself under a heavy barrel.

"Exactly." He finished the rest of his breakfast portion quickly, crunching his bag into a small ball. 

"I need to get back to organize all this. The water should be pretty much out by noon so we need to move fast."

He took a step in the direction of the exit. However, at the last second he turned towards Abby. "Lunch later?"

"It's a date."

He paused just for a fraction before smiling and nodding.

"I'll go now," he said but did not move an inch.

Abby arched one eyebrow.

"Umm," he pointed at the bag in Abby's hand. "There's _—_ never mind. See you later."

He tapped Abby on the shoulder in a rather awkward fashion and bolted away, leaving her alone.

Now curious, she took a more careful look inside her bag. There was a small card at the bottom of the bag she had not noticed. Abby picked it up and opened it slowly, wondering what it could contain.

A small white flower slipped out between the pages. She gently took it into her hand and admired its simple beauty. _Such a delicate little thing._

There was also writing in the card, Abby noticed.

**I found it on the mountains, growing from the tiniest patch of soil. It bloomed in the harshest of environments, reaching out towards the sun even in adversity. Reminded me of you.**

A ridiculous warmth flooded into her chest. Chancellor Kane had indeed spared her a thought.

She slipped the flower through a buttonhole on the lapel of her blouse. She gave it a tug, making sure it was secure and then stepped out of the supply room with a radiant smile on her face.

"Jackson, get some stretchers to the front yard. And we also need all the remaining cold water and sunburn medication," Abby ordered, trying to regain a serious expression. She lifted her hands up and gathered her hair together to slip her hair tie back into its place. "We have a busy ahead of us."

Jackson glanced at Abby tying her hair while he was making one of the beds left vacant by a patient just that morning.

"Chancellor likes it down, huh?"

Abby froze.

She turned her head slowly around to see if that voice with a slightly accusatory tone had really come from Jackson's mouth.

Jackson had stopped what he was doing and was instead watching Abby. His mouth was a straight tight line. His eyes betrayed no emotion, staring right through her.

Abby didn't like this look. It was the same one he used in all of their one-sided arguments where he demanded her to go to bed or eat and Abby always inevitably lost.

She blinked at him, still not quite believing her ears. And then she saw red. _The nerve of that assumption._

"The Chancellor has no opinion about the way I wear my hair, and neither should you," Abby snapped.

She knew Jackson meant well. After the shocklashing, he had become ridiculously protective of Abby whenever Marcus was around. He showed their Chancellor an adequate amount of respect, but every now and then he lapsed and fixed him a cold glare if Marcus accidentally even brushed Abby. Whereas Abby had forgiven him ages ago, Jackson still couldn't quite let go of it.

Abby hoped Jackson would eventually understand. But she could not do anything to erase his memories of tending the wounds on her back.

"I'm sorry, Abby" Jackson finally said. "I was out of line." He got back to his work, too nervous to meet Abby's eyes or say another word to her.

But the damage was already done. Abby tied her hair into an almost painfully tight ponytail, and tried to clear her head which was now filled with confusing thoughts. Abby didn't like the way Jackson had introduced Marcus into her mind in this whole new, uncomfortable light. As someone who would enjoy seeing her hair flowing down. _As a romantic candidate._

 _No way_ , she thought and let out a stiff chuckle. She would never consider him as in that way. Never.

But annoyingly, Jackson had already planted the idea in her head. Abby imagined Marcus in her mind, wearing that goofy smile he had on earlier. A smile she never would have thought could be even possible for that cold, rigid man in the Ark to manage. She smiled at the memory while filling a jug with their last drops of cool water.

Yes, he was certainly dear to her. _But not like in that way._

She tested a different kind of a picture in her head where Marcus's smile morphed into that nerve-racking smirk that had flickered across his face in the supply closet.

In her imagination the room was darker somehow, and even more cramped. And Marcus was not leaning against the wall, but right in front of her, trapping her with his hands on the wall behind her. He moved his rough, masculine hands to the sides of her face, bringing her closer to him. He played with one of her strands with a smug smile on his face, knowing exactly that Abby had let her hair loose just for him. He leaned over.

"I can see that you missed me," he breathed into her skin. The next thing Abby knew was his bread tickling her when he started trailing his mouth slowly downwards her neck _—_

She flinched so bad the tray she was holding tilted over. A loud crash followed. The jug of water had shattered into million pieces that were now floating on the floor.

Jackson looked at her, startled. "Are you okay, Abby?"

"Yeah I'm _—_ I'm fine. I'm gonna go and get a mop." She stuttered. Then she speeded right by Jackson before he would notice the garishly red flush on her cheeks.

When she was alone again in the supply closet, she leaned against the wall and let out a shaky breath. _Damn Jackson_.

She would be mortified if Marcus ever found out what she had just pictured in her head.

She closed her eyes and clutched the ring hanging from her neck, trying to calm herself down.

It worked. After a moment she could manage a small smile.

_Don't everyone have these kinds of awkward thoughts about their friends?_

Although having one of Marcus Kane was particularly funny. They had just started being on warm terms again and here she was, fantasizing about him kissing her.

The initial dread of him knowing about her little daydream was gone. Maybe they could even laugh about it. Abby could actually picture it coming up when they would eat lunch together later. Abby would relish the look on his face before he burst out laughing for the sheer humor in the thought of them together. 

Marcus's laughter was something special. The way his usually so worried and serious expression would cease to be as if it never even existed and his eyes would light up, illuminating the whole world and _—_

 _Well that train of thought went off the rails fast_ , Abby thought, embarrassed again.

She kept fiddling with the ring in her necklace, hoping it would magically make her confusing thoughts disappear. But the flower on her lapel kept invading her field of vision, competing for her attention.

It was hard to ignore the fluttering in her stomach and the way her heart pounded in her chest when Marcus was brought back into her mind. Abby sighed. 

_Shouldn't these kind of feelings be over for her part?_

It was unfair that now when she had finally gotten her daughter back and found happiness on the ground, she was sucker-punched by her own hormones, making everything complicated again. 

She was not ready.

But perhaps she would not have to be. Her body probably just had a weird reaction to Marcus because of her loneliness. Or maybe she had the flu. Both, most likely. She would have to check her fever later. 

But one thing was sure. She definitely was not falling for Marcus. And she would not let her overactive imagination ruin things between them.

When she heard Jackson's steps outside, she realized she had been gone long enough. He was probably worried. Abby grabbed the mop, chasing Marcus's smile away from her mind.

* * *

The midday sun was blazing down on the backs of a very unhappy herd of delinquents. Marcus passed them, huffing and puffing as they dragged their carts on an uneven ground. Even usually good-natured Harper had thrown him a mean look when he had jogged by. Marcus could not fault her for that, their day of leisure had turned into a labor camp where they were being slowly grilled alive.

"Good work everybody", Marcus said and focused on his own cart, leaving the crowd muttering faint swear words at his back. 

The faster he would get to the camp with the barrel the sooner he would go back to retrieve another and their shared workload would lessen. And the faster he could take a water break. And see Abby again.

When he finally made the final few feet and rolled the barrel from the cart into its place, he had to fight every muscle in his body not to let him collapse on the ground right then. Especially when he could feel eyes on his back. Turning around, he saw Abby observing him with a mysterious look on her face.

Marcus placed his hands on his hips, exhaling deeply. Then he tried to flash her his most nonchalant smile. When he met Abby's eyes she jerked her head around and fixed her scrutiny on the other workers, ready to usher anyone she even suspected of having a heat stroke under Jackson's wing in the med bay.

_God, he had missed her._

The fact that she hadn't left his mind for a single day on his mission was something he would never admit to her. Who knows, the woman could actually realize how much he had grown to depend on her company. The achy feeling in his heart when he ate alone was something he would be glad to never experience again.

Oddly enough, she was still avoiding his gaze when he approached her. Marcus halted when he noticed the small white flower on the lapel of her jacket. Her actually keeping his silly little gift sent swirls of glee into the pit of his stomach.

"Did you like it?" He asked and poked her on the shoulder, trying to gain her attention.

Abby turned her head, staring at him blankly. He pointed at the flower.

"Oh yeah," she said and brushed it with her fingers as if she had forgotten its existence. "Though maybe you should've just left it there."

Marcus's smile faded. 

"The flower was probably perfectly happy alone, even if it was sometimes hard. I'm sure it didn't want any men to come and pick it up and just _—"_ she rambled. 

He was extremely confused. He had not expected that kind of a reaction. 

She was acting strangely in other ways too. She kept tightening her ponytail and could hardly look him in the eye.

Finally Abby halted her jumbled speech, remembered what she was supposed to do, and turned to face her water jugs. "You should go rest in a shade for a while, Marcus," she said, pouring him a glass.

"I'm okay", he said, waving his hand in dismissal.

"Are you sure your back can take this?"

He scrunched his forehead. Now he was just offended. 

Her doubts of his physical capabilities were annoying him more than the fact that there was still over twenty barrels waiting to be filled by the river and the work was going slower than expected. 

"Do you think I'm that old?"

He fixed his posture under her watchful eyes and managed a smirk. If his eyes had not fooled him she actually flinched. Marcus knit his brow. 

"You've already done more than enough," she said and offered him the water quickly.

Instead of drinking it Marcus splashed the contents of the glass onto his overheated head.

Truth to be told, Marcus was feeling hot and exhausted after having already brought five barrels back to the camp. But he would never admit that to the face of this tiny woman, whose face was now adorably creased with worry. The crease on her forehead got even deeper when she watched the water dribbling from his face. "You have to take a break."

"As I said, I'm okay," he said.

 _Why was it so impossible hot here?_ He could swear the sun kept getting bigger and hotter by every minute. 

He clutched his suffocating shirt and draped the fabric over his upper body. He tossed the piece of clothing onto the ground.

Abby was gaping at him, her jaw hanging open. Then she quickly became very interested in the ground beneath her feet. Marcus gazed at the flustered woman, confused. She had seen him without a shirt dozens of times over the years while treating his various injuries. Why would the sight make her uncomfortable now?

"You know your own limits," Abby muttered with averted eyes. She snatched the empty glass from him and marched off. Marcus blinked at her back. 

Feeling his company was unwelcome, he started retreating but kept watching her, trying to make sense what was going on with her. Then he saw her slowly drawing out the flower from her lapel when she thought he was not looking at her anymore. She pocketed it swiftly. 

His heart sank. 

Marcus had no choice but to turn back and walk out of the camp with an empty cart since he had refused a longer pause. He left irritated. Somehow his brief encounter with Abby had made him sad and disappointed, even though he had no idea what he had been expecting out of it. 

 _Next time I won't bring her any flowers,_ Marcus thought bitterly. 

On the way to the river, he was met with several barrels laying on the ground, looking like they had been vomited by a large cart in a tilted position behind them. Some delinquents, including Bellamy, Clarke, and Monty to Marcus's surprise, were either sitting in the cart or lying on the ground on their backs like Jasper.

Just then the sun got swept over by clouds and the temperature lowered just a few pleasant notches. Relieved groans were released all through the crowd. Jasper briefly interrupted his sprawl to throw a kiss at the sky. For shirtless Marcus, it got just a hint chilly.

He didn't even understand why he had taken his shirt off. It all seemed a bit silly now, especially now when teenagers were watching him and chuckling. He walked over to Jasper.

"Looking good, Chancellor," he smirked when he saw Marcus hovering over him.

"Why has the cart stopped moving?" Marcus asked, crossing his arms.

"The wheel broke," Clarke explained. "We sent Lincoln to get a new one. Before he comes back we can't do much."

Marcus sighed. "There are plenty of free, smaller carts back at the camp. Surely you could—."

It was pretty clear nobody was listening to him. Clarke and the others had turned her attention to Monty who had leaped down from the cart.

"I wonder how heavy these are?" Monty asked and examined one of the barrels. He then looped his arms around it and tried to lift it. It barely rose an inch before he had to drop it back down.

"No, Monty, let me try. We all know that you're the brain, I'm the muscle" Jasper said and jumped up, excited to have something fun to do. He rubbed his hands together and with one swift motion, grabbed a barrel from the bottom. After an abundant amount of grunting and groaning, it reached about the same height as Monty's barrel.

"No. Stop that," Marcus ordered when he saw another kid trying his hand at lifting a barrel. "Those are heavy. You could hurt yourselves."

But the restless group had already taken enormous interest in this new activity. Suddenly all around Marcus people were squabbling over a barrel to play with.

"You're blocking the way", a feminine voice called. Marcus turned around, seeing Octavia on the back her horse. The girl had had the smart idea to let the animal do the work for her and pull her cart. But she was stopped by the huge, unmoving cart on the road.

"Hey O, you up for a challenge?" Bellamy shouted and wrapped his arms around a barrel. Octavia cocked an eyebrow.

"Blake match! Blake match!" some started chanting.

It didn't take long for Octavia to realize what was being asked of her. She jumped off the horse and approached Bellamy, smirking. "You're on."

She spat on her hands.

"Stop this nonsense immediately!"

Marcus's words fell on deaf ears. The siblings were already grunting with pained expressions on their faces, trying their hardest to best each other at lifting their barrels while everyone else cheered them on. 

Bellamy had managed to get his barrel at knee's level. "Look Clarke!" he shouted, smiling. Clarke was rolling her eyes. _The one sensible person around here._

Marcus shot a pleading look at her. She shrugged. There was no stopping this mad crowd.

Before long, there was a loud yelp. The voice belonged to Jasper who had jumped out of the way of a barrel broken loose. It started rolling towards the point where the ground sloped downwards. Everyone watched while the barrel's speed accelerated downhill until it finally stopped with a thud and got stuck in a ditch.

Marcus closed his eyes. "Whose barrel was that?" he asked in a low, tired voice.

No confessions were audible.

"I guess I'll go get it then," Marcus sighed and began his descent.

He had barely even reached the barrel when the noise above grew. The teens had started to horse around yet again. Marcus was beginning to regret that he had not sent more adult supervision for the task.

He tried to ignore the kids and focused on the stuck barrel. It was in a difficult place and Marcus could not get it to move by pushing. He started to look for something solid to use as a lever when a familiar voice joined the others above.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Marcus looked up and saw Abby. She was marching towards the delinquents, eyes blazing with fire. The sight of her sent them into a wild panic. They elbowed each other to get the farthest away from the barrels as possible.

"Don't you have any idea how heavy these barrels are? You could've seriously hurt yourself!" Abby raged on and the teens cowered.

Marcus couldn't help but admire the view. She had gotten the kids in order with just a few words. _What a mighty woman._

"The wheel broke and the barrels rolled out and _—_ and _—_ one is now in the ditch," somebody explained.

Abby turned her eyes to Marcus. He waved at Abby and pointed at the barrel, snugly stuck right next to his feet.

"What are you doing, just standing here? Go help your Chancellor to get the barrel up!" Abby ordered, jerking her head in the direction of the teens again, who was looking less than enthusiastic to even attempt to get the barrel unstuck.

"Don't worry, I got this!" Marcus shouted.

A silence followed. The delinquents were watching him in amusement, including Bellamy who was leaning against one of the barrels. "You sure about that?" the cocky bastard asked. He seemed to be feeling way too smug for someone who had just barely won his little sister. 

Abby laid eyes on him too. The expression on her face read too clearly: _No you don't._

Something in her skeptical eyes pulled a switch in his body. A wild electric jolt ran through him, setting adrenaline seeping through his veins.

Mind blank, filled with energy, he bent down and wrapped his arms around the barrel. He started pulling it, gathering all of his strength. The muddy ground let out a wet smack when the plastic was released from its embrace.

Marcus lifted the barrel straight up to the level of his waist.

Bellamy's eyes went round.

Marcus took one careful step uphill. Surprisingly, his legs did not give out on him. He slowly but surely continued his ascension, trying to keep his stance as unwavering as possible.

The delinquents were now watching him slack-jawed. Abby was blinking at him wildly, her mouth hanging open just the tiniest of fractions. He met her eyes and tried to smile, but grunted and grimaced instead.

Beads of sweat were gathering on his forehead. He was just starting to register the weight of the barrel.

His arms were stretched painfully thin. Every step felt like a stab. All the muscles in his body seemed to be burning up.

But then he looked up and saw her wide eyes again. And the same electric shock from earlier powered him up again, and the last steps went in a flash.

Now he was standing in front of Abby. He carefully lowered the barrel from his aching hands right at her feet. Stooped down, he had a second to reflect on what he had just done.

His back would take revenge on him later. He was pretty sure he would not be able to even lift a piece of paper for the next few days. And the kids certainly would never let him forget how fast he had gone against his own order not to try to lift the barrels. 

He lifted his eyes. It was hard to care about any of those things when Abby was watching him with those big dark eyes, slightly flushed, mouth agape in wonder.

He slowly rose, keeping his gaze fixed on Abby. The look in her eyes under her long lashes could burn a hole in his skin.

 _Well, this is new._ Abby had never looked at him this way before. And Marcus's heart had never wanted to blast off his chest this badly.

Marcus was suddenly overwhelmed by the sight in front of him. It was like the fog in his eyes had been cleared and he saw Abby, really saw her in vivid colors. This utter beauty was not watching him like a colleague who had just witnessed something reckless and potentially dangerous, but like a woman who was watching a man. Like she actually wanted him. And  _god,_ he wanted her at that moment too.

The world slowed down. The outside noise faded away.

His eyes flickered to her mouth. Abby was biting her lower lip. 

Some fuse in his head that controlled his rational thinking blew out right at that instant. His hand cupped Abby's cheek. 

It was the sickening thump of a barrel falling down that stopped him from doing more than that. 

And then Clarke shrieked.

* * *

 "It's not funny, Jasper."

Bellamy was glaring at the boy who had started quietly chuckling for the hundredth time in an hour in the cramped corridor leading to the med bay. 

Octavia, next to Bellamy, was trying her hardest not to let a smile cross her face. Even Lincoln beside her had an amused hint in his usual stoic expression. Monty, Harper and Miller were exchanging looks, competing for the title of the person most unsurprised by the outcome of the barrel chaos.

If Bellamy had not been in so much distress Marcus would have also viewed the situation as slightly humorous. The boy was sitting on a bench, eyes darting back and front, face pale and his knuckles white in his tight fists. His appearance seemed to be an endless source of amusement for the others gathered in the hallway, all waiting for the door to the medical to open.

There were sounds coming from further along the corridor. Marcus looked up and saw Raven heading towards them and pushing people from her way, a worried expression on her face.

"I got the message something happened to Clarke, where is she?" Raven asked when she reached them, oil dripping from her overalls to the floor. 

"She's there", Bellamy said with a hoarse voice and pointed to the door.

"Oh my god, stop acting like she's on her deathbed," Octavia groaned as Bellamy buried his face in his hands.

"What happened?"

"Bellamy decided it was a great idea to put on a show for Clarke, while the chancellors were 'otherwise' occupied. He lifted the biggest barrel, only to drop it down immediately. Poor Clarke's pinky toe broke because of that maneuver." Octavia explained.

Raven's face was incredulous at first. She glanced at everyone to get some sort of a confirmation that the reason she had ran there so fast that her lunges almost gave up was, indeed, because Bellamy had broken Clarke's toe. Pinky toe. When he saw Bellamy's blood-shot eyes she finally broke down. She started guffawing so hard she had to bend over. 

"You all treat this like a big joke as if you don't give a shit about Clarke's well-being." Bellamy hissed. 

"It's just a broken toe. Considering what we have been through it's basically nothing. Next time you send me an emergency note Clarke better be bleeding in the medical with the whole leg ripped off." Raven said, wiping her eyes.

"It's not just a toe when Clarke comes out and decides if she ever wants to speak to me again!"

"Listen, Bellamy." Marcus locked his eyes. "She's going to forgive you. There's no doubt about it. But you have to understand that you were being irresponsible and that caused Clarke's misfortune. If you all had just listened to me—"

Bellamy's brow shot upwards, mouth dropping open. Others started to cast amused glances at Marcus's direction.

"You can't be serious," Bellamy stammered. "Look at yourself! You took off your shirt! Even I didn't stoop that low!"

Bellamy gestured towards Marcus's upper body which was still unclothed. As if Marcus had the time to grab a shirt when they rushed Clarke to the medical.

What did you say?" Marcus asked, raising his voice an octave.

"You are speaking as if you weren't doing the exact same thing for Dr. Griffin!" Bellamy exclaimed. "I mean— I'm sure she appreciated it, but you have to realize you're being a little hypocritical there," Bellamy tried to backtrack after realizing he was yelling. "Sir," he added.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Marcus huffed.

Everybody groaned around him.

"Do you think we're blind? The only way it could have been more obvious is if you had painted your bare chest with big red letters: "LOOK AT ME DR. GRIFFIN! I'M STRONG! PLEASE KISS ME!" Octavia snorted.

"The only difference was that you, unlike Bellamy, succeeded. After your little stunt you and Dr. Griffin were looking like you wanted to rip each other's clothes off and do it right there, audience be damned." Jasper said with a smug smile on his face.

Marcus glared at his obvious disrespect of authority, while Raven looked around confused, seeking an explanation in the faces of others.

"What Chancellor forgot to mention was that he gave Bellamy the idea. He also lifted a barrel to impress a girl," Monty told her.

"A woman," Marcus corrected without thinking.

"Ah, so you don't deny it?" Octavia smirked.

"No! That's not what I—"

The teenagers were watching him with gleaming eyes, just waiting for him to make another wrong move. Raven looked like a kid who had just stumbled into a candy shop.

"I can't believe I missed it. The one day I'm working inside..." she sighed dramatically.

"It was exactly like you could imagine. Kane, shirtless, carrying the misplaced barrel to his lady love like a mighty knight," Octavia said, feigning a dreamy voice.

"He sure scored some points in Dr. Griffin's tally for that move," Harper said.

"He's going to cash his prize later. Better stay far away from the Chancellor's quarters tonight," Jasper advised and others nodded, giggling.

Marcus couldn't believe he was in this situation. Teased mercilessly by a bunch of kids. He could feel the heat climbing up his neck.

"I'm the Chancellor!" He exclaimed.

He might as well uttered complete nonsense. The kids lost interest in Marcus. They turned to tease Bellamy again, who was squirming in his seat.

"Meanwhile, Bellamy probably dropped to the bottom of Clarke's list," Jasper laughed.

Bellamy's face fell. Octavia noticed this and punched him gently on the arm. "I'm sure she won't hate you forever," she said.

"Only a couple of years," Jasper said, counting his fingers.

After a long contemplation, Marcus opened his mouth. "The relationship between me and Dr. Griffin is no business of either of you. But if you must know, it's completely professional," he said, more to himself than any of the teens, because nobody was paying attention to him anymore.

The one thing the kids could not see was how terrified he actually was. Just waiting here and running the events in his mind over and over again was making him even more scared. He felt like he was waiting for Abby to open the door, cross her arms and demand an explanation.

He could come up with something. Hopefully, she had not even realized he had tried to kiss her. In his brain, he started hunting for a list of reasons to cup somebody's cheek in a platonic way. His mind ran blank. 

He switched to a new plan.

It was just a result of momentary confusion fueled by adrenaline. That is what he would tell her. 

He would have tried to kiss Jaha if he had happened to stand in Abby's place.

Alright, maybe not _Jaha_.

But it might just as well been any other person. Because Marcus did not think about Abby romantically at all. Hell, he couldn't even allow himself to think about her in that way. What a ridiculous idea. He and Abby.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, there was a tiny, barely audible voice: "What if?"

Marcus quenched that voice immediately. 

Now he was disturbed by his own head.  _Did he actually want to initiate something romantic with Abby?_

He recalled how he had felt when Abby had looked at him like she would actually have accepted his kiss, even wanted it. He had been about to burst. Like thousands of bells in his head had started simultaneously ringing, telling him "Yes! Yes! This is the feeling you should have chased after your whole life!" And the only way to stop the roaring storm in his body was to draw her close and capture her lips. 

That overwhelming, huge balloon of emotion was back in his chest when he thought of her. Breath caught in his throat. 

_No._

_No, no, no, no, no._

He tried to calm himself down.

This, whatever it was, was not a sign. He did not have feelings for Abby.

He was most likely still suffering from an oxygen deprivation after spending those weeks in the mountains. This was just a side effect. He was glad Abby could not see into his head and discover the way he had briefly thought about her.

The horrific realization struck him. He had already made a mistake. _He had tried to kiss her._

His mind was starting to put the puzzle pieces together. The reaction to the flower. The flinching. The way she had avoided his gaze.

He had been a complete idiot.

Friends did not bring each other flowers. What had he been thinking? Of course Abby had misunderstood his intentions.

No wonder she had looked like a deer caught in headlights when he had been talking to her. She had clearly tried to signal to him that his advances were not welcomed.

 _And he had tried to kiss her in front of everyone._ He wanted to kick himself into the oblivion.

He had crossed the line in a major way.

He prayed Abby would just ignore what happened and they could go on with their friendship. Eat meals together. Laugh and smile together. Go on long walks and discuss the camp issues. Now that he was at risk of losing it all he realized how much he actually craved to have her by his side.

He glanced at Bellamy, who was looking absolutely miserable. Marcus realized he would gladly trade places with him. 

The door of the med bay opened with a creak. Bellamy shot up so fast he almost tripped over his feet.

Clarke took a careful step out of the door with her crutch. Her left foot had been neatly wrapped in a yellow cast.

"You're doing great, honey," Abby appeared behind Clarke. She grasped her elbow, helping her to cross the threshold.

Clarke smiled at her mother, but when she turned her head towards Bellamy, her expression changed into the epitome of a raging storm. Marcus could see Bellamy visibly shrink in front of her.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Clarke," Marcus said and offered her a kind smile. It was left unnoticed by Clarke who was staring at Bellamy with blazing eyes.

"You _—_  you _—_ " Clarke was trying her hardest to come up with a word that could properly describe Bellamy's idiocy. 

"I'm so so so sorry," Bellamy croaked, dropping his head down.

"I'll do anything. I'll go and get a barrel, full one this time, and crush my whole foot under it. Both ones, if you wish." The boy's voice was filled with complete sincerity. 

Clarke's expression softened. The words that were forming on her lips died down.

"Youdon't need to do that, you idiot," she said, her face yielding and creasing into a smile. "I forgive you", she huffed. "But you need make this up for me."

A tiny, relieved smile spread across Bellamy's face. "I will."

Marcus moved his eyes from Clarke and Bellamy to steal a glance at Abby. She turned her head down when Marcus's eyes flickered to her direction and started staring at the floor. His chest tightened.

"Oh, and Kane," Clarke turned to him. "This," she pointed at her cast, "could've been my mom. Next time you think with your brain." 

Marcus nodded, his whole face burning. Abby said nothing.

"C'mon," Clarke said to Bellamy who hurried beside her. He offered her his arm and together they started hobbling away. Others flocked behind them, describing to Clarke with vivid detail Bellamy's agony in the hallway. Bellamy, of course, kept denying all the embarrassing facts to chuckling Clarke. 

The voices faded as they moved farther away. 

Marcus turned his head to Abby only to discover that she had escaped back to the medical.

He needed to see her. He needed to make sure he did not do anything irreversible. That their friendship was unchanged.

He took a step in the direction of the entrance, only to be blocked by Jackson, who had appeared at the doorway. 

"Abby asked me to tell you that she is unable to make lunch today," Jackson said, his face a blank slate. Then he shut the door to in face with a loud clank.

Marcus was left blinking at the grey door. The realization sank in.

He had screwed it all up.


	2. Step 2: Fail miserably at trying to outrun your feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby is playing the avoiding game and Clarke offers her help. Marcus and Abby seem to be unable to function as normal friends. Two hugs are shared with awkward results. Abby wrestles with her feelings and Marcus sees something he definitely should not have seen. Panic ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to include some Mackson after seeing 4x09, I just had to.

It had been three days. 

Three days since the barrel incident, three days since the almost-kiss. Three days spent trying to avoid Marcus. 

In the beginning it had been easy. She just had to make a good use of unconventional routes through the camp and stay away from the mess hall. But soon Abby had realized it would take more than that when Marcus had started to purposefully seek her out.

The one time he had been able to catch her Abby had been talking with Raven outside when Marcus had appeared suddenly beside her. He had been flushed, apparently from running since his breath had been rapid and uneven.

"We need to talk," he had panted.

"Is it urgent?" Abby had asked, careful not to meet his eyes.

"You know exactly what I want to talk about."

Abby did not understand why he could not have just left her alone. She definitely did not want to face him after what had almost happened, and she was truly surprised that he insisted on bringing it up, even though he had to be just as mortified.

Abby could remember everything with far too vivid detail. Marcus had glanced at her lips. He had laid his hand on her cheek. She remembered her eyes briefly fluttering shut by the touch. She had anticipated a kiss. Hell, she had even hoped for it. That was one of the little facts that she still needed time to process on her own.

But the thud of a barrel had broken the broken the moment and Marcus had snatched his hand off like it had been burnt and had looked at her with terrified eyes. They had told her all. He had just been saved from a big mistake.

And it would have been a mistake. A huge, horrible mistake that would have ruined everything. Abby was relieved that they had been interrupted, even though the next minute Clarke's screams had sent her into a wild panic.

But what Abby did not understand was why she had felt a cold, sharp stab in her heart when she had seen his aghast face.

Just before she had disappeared into the medical with Clarke, Marcus had grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn her head. 

"Abby, I was not going _—_ I didn't mean to _—_ "

The regret in his voice made Abby's stomach twist painfully.

_Of course you didn't mean to. You were just confused, I know. Because why in the world would you ever want to kiss me?_

So she had snapped. "Not now, Marcus."

She had snatched her arm from his grip and run inside.

Deep in her heart Abby knew that Marcus did not deserve her curtness. But Abby expected the man to have at least some awareness to let Abby recover from her tiny humiliation in peace.

"Then it can wait," she had said. "I'm in the middle of something."

Raven had looked at them both with a curious expression. "Honestly, Abby, this is not anything importan _—_ " she had begun.

Abby's eye had twitched and understanding had fallen on Raven's face.

"I mean, the water pipe is not life-threatening but yes, we certainly need to go over it now," Raven had said carefully, seeking Abby's approval.

Abby had nodded and smiled. "Later, Marcus."

Later had never come. As soon as she had been finished with Raven she had scurried across the camp to another task.

After that they had started their game of cat and mouse. Abby had still had the upper hand because Marcus was bound to stay in certain places during his guard duty that she could easily avoid, but it had gotten harder and harder the more determined Marcus became to catch her. In the end, even extremely irregular day schedules and stealthy movements around the camp had not been enough.

So her next tactic had been to lock herself in the medical and dive deep into her other work.

Consequently, Marcus had started to lurk in the hallway, requesting an audience with Abby every time Jackson opened the door for him. Abby hated subjecting Jackson to that. The man was definitely not a good liar and had difficulties trying to fend off their Chancellor while Abby tried to hide herself. This was the source of great puzzlement for their patients.

But every time Jackson eventually succeeded and Abby could not be more grateful to the man for that. Each time Marcus also left the medical more frustrated. 

Abby was not surprised to hear knocking on the door yet again. Marcus would never give up and Abby had grown to realize that some day they actually had to sit down and have an adult conversation about their relationship. But that day was not today.

"Tell him I'm busy."

Jackson looked helplessly around him. The med bay was completely empty. "The Chancellor has the authority to check the status of the medical any given time. And he did that the last time when I told him you were busy. So I said that you were busy writing up reports," he said. 

"So he went away?"

"Well, he asked how much time you needed to fill those reports. And I said a couple of hours." Jackson gulped. "Now it has been a couple of hours."

Abby sighed, rubbing her temples. "Tell him I'm not feeling well."

"Abby, if I tell him that he is going rush through that door and drag you to your bed."

Would not be the first time.

One day Abby had been so occupied with her work she had not had time to sleep. That had resulted in her fainting in Marcus's arms when he had come to check on her in the medical. When she had gained consciousness he had been absolutely furious. Marcus had given her Chancellor's orders to stay in her room and rest, and yelled at Jackson for not noticing anything. Jackson had shut him off by telling him with an uncharacteristically dry voice that Marcus had not noticed anything either, despite being glued to her hip every awake hour.

That was certainly not the case anymore.

"Tell him the flu has come back. And it's highly contagious."

"He's still going to _—_ "

"Say that I just threw up."

"Abby _—_ "

"Diarrhea. Yes, just tell him I've got diarrhea. And that he shouldn't come even near me if he didn't want the same fate."

"Maybe I should come back later?" Bellamy's voice came from behind her.

Abby's eyes shot up in the direction of the entrance.

Bellamy had taken the liberty of opening the door and stepping inside the room while they had argued. But now the boy was slowly retreating as he was realizing what he had just gotten into.

"That was not meant for you, Bellamy, you can come in," Abby sighed.

The boy cocked his eyebrows. "Selective diarrhea? Kane must have seriously screwed up."

"Marcus didn't do anything _—_ " Abby began, frustrated. It had to be now clear for the whole camp that she was avoiding him. But she did not want everybody to speculate about Marcus's wrongdoings when the fault was on her.

Jackson threw her a pointed look. Abby had not told him why she was avoiding Marcus and he had not asked. But Jackson was ready to help her regardless. He saw her pained expression and it was enough to jump to defend Marcus, much to Abby's surprise.

"Look who's talking," Jackson said to Bellamy and crossed his arms. "I spent two hours patching up your _girlfriend's_ foot after your slip-up."

Bellamy squinted his eyes at the term used. "By the way, your _boyfriend_ is looking for you," he shot right back at him.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Jackson said, scrunching his forehead.

"Miller. Something about the first aid training for guards."

Jackson blinked. Then a whole range of emotions crossed across his face. His expression went from pure unabashed excitement to horror, then to confusion, followed by anger and finally a sorrowful acceptance. "I'm not leaving Abby's side."

"Relax. This is not some sort of a master plan by Kane to get Abby alone. I just saw Miller and he asked for you."

"Me?" Jackson pointed at himself in disbelief.

Bellamy nodded with one of his eyebrows quirked in amusement.

"Eh, I better get going then. Abby, are you alright on your own?" Jackson asked, running his fingers through his hair to make himself look more presentable.

Abby flashed him a grin that went from one ear to another. "Miller likes it slicked back, huh?"

Jackson glanced at her with an annoyed look when he noticed the similar taunt he had used with her earlier. "Abby, just _—_ don't _—_ " he huffed.

Then he pushed past Bellamy to escape the teasing.

When they were left alone Bellamy and Abby rolled their eyes at Jackson's obliviousness. Then Bellamy seemed to remember who he was with and guilt crashed down to him. He gulped and fixed his gaze on his shoes. "Dr. Griffin, I'm so so sorry."

There ought to be a certain, motherly animosity to be held for boys like Bellamy, especially now that he had hurt Clarke, although inadvertently. But the poor boy had already apologized to Abby multiple times, and every time he looked as frightened as now. How could she ever dislike that sweet boy when she saw how much he adored Clarke? Abby would give him her blessing in a heartbeat if the boy ever gathered enough courage to ask for it someday.

"You have said that a million times. Clarke forgave you, so do I." Abby smiled at Bellamy's pale face, which started slowly gaining color by her words. "Is there anything you need from the medical?" she asked.

"I have a message to deliver."

Abby's brow snapped together. "If this is from Marcus _—_ "

"Of course, it's not", Bellamy said, confused. "It's from Clarke. She's worried about you. You have hardly visited her. Actually the exact wording of the message was: "Mom, stop holing up in the med bay and come see your only, wheel chair-bound daughter."

Abby covered her face with her hands and groaned. Since when did she allow her mess of a personal life make her unable to go see Clarke? This hiding had to stop.

"I'm a terrible mother."  
  
"No you're not," Bellamy tried to comfort. "You're just—." He paused. "Honestly, I have no idea what is going on with you and Kane but I hope you resolve it soon. The man has been miserable for not being able to see you."

Abby's heart clenched. She did not want to cause him pain, far from it. She just needed time to think and let her emotions calm down. The image of Marcus stealing a kiss from her was not going to stay etched in her brain forever, _right?_

"I have to get to my daughter," she said, shoving Bellamy a datapad. "You're in charge of medical now."

Bellamy blinked. "Dr. Griffin, I don't even _—_ "

"You just need to contact my radio if a patient shows up. I'll be back soon," Abby instructed him.

Just before stepping out, Abby stopped and turned around to face Bellamy. "And if Marcus comes and asks for me _—_ "

"I'll tell him you have 'stomach problems', got it," Bellamy said and saluted. 

Abby offered him a tiny smile and nodded.

She quickly arrived at Clarke's quarters, luckily not encountering Marcus on the way, even though she took the most direct and visible route through the camp. Only reasonable explanation for his absence would have been a patrol duty but Abby knew his schedule by heart now and it told her otherwise. 

Maybe he had given up.

The thought made, surprisingly, Abby's stomach constrict.

It was utterly ridiculous. She did not want Marcus seeking her. And now when he had finally stopped, relief was not washing over her, but instead, she felt a lump forming in her throat.

She knocked on Clarke's door, hoping spending time with her daughter would make Marcus disappear from her mind.

"Come in," Clarke yelled through the door.

Abby stepped inside and discovered Clarke working on some papers. Her cast was propped up on her wheelchair. That made it impossible for Clarke to fit it under her desk but somehow Clarke had managed to settle into a weird position where she could rest her leg and still work by twisting her whole upper body. Apparently, she would not let minor injuries obstruct her duties.

"Shouldn't you be resting, honey?" Abby said, approaching Clarke.

"Please stop being like Bellamy, it's just a toe, not a terminal disease," Clarke muttered. She lifted her eyes from the papers and took a look at Abby. "It's about time you visited again."

"I'm so sorry honey, it's just that _—_ "

"You don't want to run into Kane, I know. The whole camp knows."

Abby bit her lip. _Was it really that obvious?_

"I'm dying to know what's the deal between you two," Clarke said, put down her work and turned towards Abby. "But first, did you talk to Bellamy? That poor idiot is still suffering because he thinks you hate him."

"Is that why you sent him across the camp to deliver your message? You could have just contacted my radio."

"It makes him feel better if I order him to do things. He likes to think he's doing his penance that way."

Abby gave her a strict look. "That's not a nice way to treat boys."

"Aren't you doing the exact same thing with Marcus? He is the one running around the camp half-crazy because you just won't talk to him."

The mother and daughter had a staring match, which Clarke eventually won when Abby had to look a way as her cheeks started to burn. Clarke smiled at her smugly.

Clarke looked amused but Abby knew better than to judge only her facial expressions when it came to Marcus. Abby's eyes fell on Clarke's wrist. After Mount Weather she had taken to wearing her father's old watch again. Some mornings Abby could see her wandering in the misty fields around the camp and twisting the watch on her hand, contemplating. She had it on right now, and Abby could see her brushing it slightly every now and then.

"You and Kane _—_ "

"There's nothing between me and him. And there never will be." Abby said quickly.

Clarke cocked her eyebrows. "I wasn't implying anything like that."

She noticed Abby's eyes on her watch. "Oh mom," she sighed, covering it with her sleeve. "I just want what's best for you. And he makes you so happy. You should at least talk to him."

Abby smiled and crouched to her level. "Clarke, my darling," she said, kissing the crown of her hair. "You are the biggest reason why I'm so happy."

"But Kane _—_ ," Clarke tried to argue while Abby leaned in to smother her with a tight hug.

"Is just my dear friend. And I promise I'm going to see him eventually. But let's not talk about him now. Let's talk about Bellamy." Abby grinned wickedly.

Clarke's expression went from annoyed to terrified. "No, mom, please don't _—_ "

"When, oh when are you going to bring that young man officially home?"

Clarke groaned and Abby laughed, burying her daughter in her arms yet again. "I'm just teasing you, honey." 

She laid her eyes on Clarke's cast, noticing now that it was full of scribbles. "How is your toe holding up?"

"It's fine. You should sign my cast, everyone else has done that already," Clarke said and pointed at the table. There was some dark paint in a cup and a brush on it.

"Of course I'll sign it," Abby said and got up.

"And after that you'll go talk to Kane, deal?" Clarke suggested.

Abby did not answer, she just grabbed the brush and offered her a tight smile. Clarke did not try to push the issue any harder, instead, she just gestured Abby to get to work.

There was hardly any space left. Every single resident seemed to have written their name on the cast, making the material almost completely black. The first signers had the privilege to use as much space as they wanted, including Bellamy, who had written his name in huge black letters. It was followed by other familiar names, Raven, Octavia, Lincoln, Harper, Monty, and even Jasper had surprisingly scribbled his name. Abby felt a guilty twitch in her heart for not being able to do this sooner.

Abby's eyes sought a certain name and soon she found it. Kane. His name was written in ever so neat, carefully paced lines. Abby could not repress the fond smile that was slowly spreading across her face. Marcus had come to see Clarke and had written his name like on an official document. _That silly man._

Abby brushed his name with her thumb. The letters were smudged by the motion.

She creased her brow. She turned her finger around, revealing a tiny smear of color that had stained her thumb. The paint had not dried yet.

Abby was confused. The name would have been signed just a few minutes ago for it to be still wet. She lifted her eyes to meet Clarke's. The girl's eyes darted nervously to the door.

"I tried this the easy way," she said with an apologetic expression on her face and whistled, hard.

The door was slammed open and Octavia barged in. She hurried to Clarke, grabbed the handles of her wheelchair and shot Abby a look. "I'm sorry Dr. Griffin. But this for the best."

"I love you, mom!" Clarke shouted while Octavia rolled her out the door as fast as lightning. The door clacked shut after them.

_This was a trap._

The other door at the back of the room creaked open. Abby did not have to turn around to know who had stepped out of it.

"Abby," Marcus exhaled.

Abby turned slowly around to face the man. He was staring at her with his tired eyes, blinking, like he quite could not believe that she was actually in front of him. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists, unable to decide what to do with his hands.

_He was so nervous._

She hated herself for letting the anger of being deceived wash away as soon as she saw his face. She started slowly becoming engulfed in the unidentifiable warm feeling of seeing him again, even though he was the last person she wanted to face right now.

"Marcus," she nodded.

"You have been avoiding me," he stated and left the sentence hanging heavy in the air.

Abby wondered if she could even try to deny it. The lengths she had gone to escape from him were starting to look laughable now. Marcus must have been in anguish, and for no good reason. Abby's reaction had been blown out of proportion.

"Yes," Abby said and lowered her gaze.

The following silence was deafening. Abby shifted her feet, keeping her head down. She could not look him in the eye after treating him so harshly.

Marcus took a tentative step to her. "You have to let me explain."

_Why? Why did he want to subject them both to that?_

Abby was not willing to revisit that confusing moment. She was still battling with the enormous ball in her chest that contained all her muddled feelings towards Marcus Kane. The ball could not be forced back into its neat little box where Abby had previously kept it, it was impossible to unravel, it would not go away or be threatened to or pleaded with. It was just there, intimidating and unmoving and making Abby distressed more and more every day.

And Marcus was now poking the ball, causing it to swell in Abby's chest and invade her lungs, making it hard to breathe.

"Yes, you can definitely explain why you used my daughter to trick me."

Marcus took a step back after seeing the angry look on her face.

"Clarke came to me. She offered to help." He explained, running fingers through his hair. "It was never my intention to trick you, Clarke was just supposed to convince you to see me." He chuckled nervously. "The rushing out thing was apparently plan B."

Abby glared at him.

Marcus gulped. His face grew anxious. "You need to understand. I had to see you. I had to get the chance to tell you how sorry I am for upsetting you. It was the farthest from my intentions."

Affection flooded Abby when she saw Marcus with such a pained expression. She just wanted to go to him and take his face in her hands and assure him that he did nothing wrong. But Abby did not trust herself to touch him, not when just his proximity was starting to make her brain foggy yet again.

"God, that flower was stupid. I did not mean to imply that I _—_ ", Marcus covered his face with his hands and groaned.

Abby had not even realized he would worry about that small detail. She almost chuckled out loud. Only Marcus could overanalyze a flower.

Of course it did not mean anything.

It was not as if Abby still kept the flower in the pocket of her jacket. And she definitely did not take it out when no one was looking and watch it as if it could reveal what Marcus truly meant for her. Nothing like that.

"And what happened in the woods _—_ "

"Nothing happened."

Marcus slit his eyes. "But in the woods _—_ "

"What do you mean? Nothing happened there."

Marcus looked at her, confused. Abby stared right back at him, trying to bore the message into his skull with only her determined gaze.

"Ah," Marcus said, understanding the route they were taking. "Nothing happened in the woods."

"Exactly."

"So you are not mad at me?" He asked with a small voice.

"Of course not."

Marcus flashed her a relieved, joyful smile that reached his eyes and Abby's knees got a bit weaker. _Since when had his smile had this kind of an effect?_

"Hearing that makes me happy. For a minute I thought that I had _—_ had ruined this. And it was killing me, the thought of not being friends with you anymore," he rambled.

Marcus stepped forward and grabbed her hands with his own.

"I love that I have you in my life."

Abby pinched her eyes shut. _Why, why, why did he have to use that word?_ The ball in her chest was climbing up her throat now, ready escape out of her mouth as a high-pitched whimper.

Abby breathed in and took her time choosing the next words. "I appreciate that you are in my life too."

Marcus smiled, then realized he was holding her hands and dropped them. Abby's palms were left burning from the contact.

"I need to apologize to you too. It was cruel for me to avoid you like that," Abby said, rubbing her hands to the sides of her jeans. She hoped that was enough for Marcus because she could not offer an explanation. Not without revealing what kind of thoughts were running through her head when it came to him nowadays.

"It is all forgotten," Marcus said.

They remained standing in their places, staring at each other awkwardly. They would both be lying if they said their relationship was not affected at all. The tension was palpable and Abby could imagine the gears in Marcus's head turning as he tried to figure out a way to defuse it.

He made the decision to slowly approach her. He carefully placed his arms around her and pulled her close.

It took a while for Abby to realize she was being hugged. Marcus's arms hung around her like overcooked spaghetti strands. The man had no idea where it was appropriate for him to touch her so he ended up trying not to brush any part of her. It was the most uncomfortable embrace Abby had ever experienced.

If a hug was Marcus Kane's way of trying to fix the situation they truly had crossed the point of no repair.

"I'm not a grape, Marcus. You don't need to be afraid of crushing me."

Marcus released the hold of her.

He was looking at her with such utter helplessness that Abby could not help but let out a tiny smile. "That was the worst hug of my life."

He blinked. "I'm sorry."

"Though, as your doctor the hug was advisable. I would not want you squeezing things with any more strength than necessary after your barrel stunt.

Marcus's eyes lit up.

"You are speaking as if I don't do stuff like that every day."

Abby rolled her eyes, not trying to suppress her grin anymore. Their light-hearted banter was back, and she felt so relieved.

"Don't even pretend you are not still sore," Abby said, snatching his arm and giving it a light squeeze. Marcus grimaced.

"You just caught me unaware," he huffed when he saw Abby's smirk.

"That's it. You are not allowed to lift anything that big ever again."

Marcus crossed his arms. "Technically I was not lifting that barrel, only hugging it."

"No hugging barrels. And definitely no normal hugs either. But that's not a problem for you, is it?" Abby said, grinning.

"Are you saying I can't do a normal hug?" Marcus said with an offended look on his face, but the corner of his mouth was not-so-secretly twitching upwards.

How Abby had missed this. Maybe it was just this easy to slide back into their comfortable friendship. Nothing could actually damage them permanently.

"You don't have to strength for it now, to be honest," Abby put on her professional voice. "A normal hug would require actual physical effort. You would have to put your arms to use and we both know that is not happening anytime soon."

"Like this?" Marcus asked, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

And suddenly Abby was in the air. Marcus had effortlessly lifted her tiny body off the ground and was now holding her up, both of his arms wound around her, his back slightly arched backwards. Abby gasped and clasped her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling. But his grip was far too strong for that to happen.

Marcus started chuckling into her hair. He could not see her shocked face but the sounds of her surprise were enough to cause him great enjoyment. He took a tiny twirl and Abby could not help but start giggling when he spun her around.

"I think you've made your point, Marcus. You're making me dizzy." Abby laughed.

Marcus took few faltering steps more, being giddy too until he finally lowered her carefully to the floor. But he did not let go immediately. The solidity of his embrace was making Abby light-headed even though her feet were back on the solid ground. He was smiling so broadly and mirth was spilling from his eyes and Abby could not stifle her girlish giggles and then he started laughing too and _—_

Abby surged forward and gave him a peck on the cheek.

The arms around her loosened.

Marcus took a step back, staring at her with a bewildered look on his face. His hand rose to brush his cheek.

Abby replayed the scene in her head, registered what she had just done and froze in horror. Marcus's eyes were wide and staring and Abby did not know what to do. She opened her mouth to say something, anything.

Her radio sounded. She snatched it to her hand like a gift from God. Perfect timing.

"What's wrong?" She spoke to her radio, turning her back to Marcus in relief. Now he could not see the heat creeping across her face.

First, she could only hear incoherent noises. When the static cleared she could distinguish something that sounded awfully lot like chuckling. "Bellamy?"

"I'm sorry Dr. Griffin," he said, hiccuping, trying his hardest to contain his laughter.

"Do not try my patience. Is someone hurt?" Abby snapped.

"It's Jackson," he managed to get out between his snorts.

Abby grew pale.

"What happened? And why in the hell are you laughing?"

"He had _—,_  you can't believe this, there was still some barrels laying around _—_ and he was with Miller _—_ he actually tried to _—_ and now his shoulder _—_ " Bellamy erupted into laughter.

"I'm coming right over," Abby sighed.

_Men and their water barrels._

* * *

 After relocating Jackson's shoulder, locking up the remaining water barrels with Sinclair and giving a speech about camp safety to the residents, the day was at its end. Abby shuffled her feet to her room, not worried of Marcus catching her. Now he was the one avoiding her. Abby had seen him scamper away in an almost comical way every time he had even caught a glimpse of her in the campgrounds.

Abby dove head-first into her bed. She laid still and kept groaning into her mattress.

_Why did I do that? Why? Why? Why?_

It should have been so simple to act like normal friends. After the incident in the woods, certain lines had been drawn and Abby had been perfectly committed not to cross them. But instead, she had slammed herself over the border without moment's hesitation the minute Marcus had made her heart flutter.

This is exactly why Abby did not want to see him. Deep inside of her, she had known she would mess it up and do something idiotic like rising up to her toes and kiss him. Which is what she had exactly done.

And now they were back at square one.

Judging by the look on Marcus's face, it would take a while for their relationship to be restored to normalcy. Maybe it was best if they kept their distance. Abby needed more time to sort out this mess in her head.

She knew there was a rational explanation for her actions. Abby just did not want to think about it.

Clarke was right. Something was definitely making her happier. She had started to smile more. According to Jackson, she had even started humming while working, which only slightly creeped out the patients in need of stitches. The approaching footsteps of Marcus in the mess hall made her heart beat against her rib-cage. Seeing the shy, greeting smile on his face made Abby flit around the camp for the rest of the day. And the days he had been gone had been gray and hardly memorable at all.

One would not need to be a particular genius to understand what was happening to her.

Could anyone fault her? Marcus was such a sweet, charming, wonderful man now. He never made decisions without her, he listened to her every word and cared so deeply about her well-being. Sometimes Abby caught him looking at her with such tenderness that her insides melted.

And he was also a very handsome man, it was hard to deny that fact even on the Ark. His powerful stance, beautiful hair and that nerve-racking smirk could have occasionally caused any woman a momentary loss of mind. But then it was easy to pretend that underneath all that black uniform he was covered in lizard scales.

Now Abby was painfully aware that it was not the case at all.

Her mind drifted to the image of him shirtless. She could remember seeing every muscle in his body flex as he struggled with the weight. The way his pecs hove as he lifted the barrel up had her hypnotized to her place. By the time he had lowered the object to her feet his perfect abdomen was glistening with sweat. In her mind, the man's upper body might just as well been carved straight out of marble.

She pressed a pillow on her face, trying to stifle her scream.

It did not help that now Abby had experience of being surrounded by his powerful arms. She could still feel him holding her, being pressed against his chest and not having a single suspicion he would let go of her.

His touch lingered on her mind. To her horror, warmth began pooling in her lower belly.

It was dangerous to lie alone on her bed and let her thoughts constantly wander to Marcus Kane, Abby decided. She rose.

She was feeling hot all over. A cold shower was needed. Now.

Abby grabbed a towel, only to realize that her wish to cool herself down was harder to fulfill than she had thought.

The water supply of the camp was directed to two different shower stations. There were the stalls in the yard, which had been unfortunately damaged by a storm. Then there were the washing rooms inside, which Marcus had shut down for nights. This action had been taken when they had realized that the teenagers, who were mostly forced to share bunk beds, used other, more private areas for their night-time activities.

At this time, there was only one shower still operable. The one in the Chancellor's quarters.

The shower was one of the few things Abby missed about being the Chancellor, and she still would have it if she had yielded to Marcus's chivalry. He had insisted that Abby kept the room when the pin was exchanged. The man had tried to claim that he did not need the quarters to be a Chancellor and moving out would be too much of a hassle. Abby had argued that their Chancellor should not share a cramped room with the other guards. They had fought about it for a while until Monty, who had overheard them, had innocently suggested that they shared the room. That was when they had realized at least over half of the delinquents thought they were together. This misconception was corrected immediately, although Abby wondered if it had stuck in anyone's mind.

Abby had eventually moved her stuff out of the room secretly. Marcus had no choice but to take the quarters or let it sit empty.

Abby was frustrated. She desperately needed cold water but she could not just waltz to the Chancellor's, could she? Even the thought of knocking on Marcus's door at this hour made her blush furiously.

She would need another solution.

_The river._

Abby sighed. Sinking into that cool, wonderful water would undoubtedly wipe Abby's mind blank.

It would not take long for her to make a quick trip there. Even though Marcus would murder her if he knew she would leave the campgrounds even shortly.

Just before Marcus had left there had been some sightings of big, mutated wolves in the woods. They had injured a couple of the hunters and Marcus had banned Abby from setting a foot outside of the fence. But it had been weeks since the last incident and Abby would not sit here grounded, twiddling her thumbs for the rest of her life just because Marcus would not let her out before personally making sure that not a twig on the ground was going to graze her skin.

So she decided to sneak out.

Abby tiptoed across the corridor and slipped out of the front door with surprising ease. She did know not what she had expected. For guards to chase her and tackle her to the ground? She had anticipated at least something more dramatic than walking effortlessly out of the gate, based on Marcus's thunderous expression when he had caught Abby trying to slink off for some herbs the last time. 

The man had been completely overreacting. She had been out in the woods dozens of times without noting him first and nothing had ever happened to her. Except for that one time when she accidentally trapped herself in a pitfall trap. But Marcus did not need to know about that.

She began her journey, trying to ignore the slightly ominous sounds of the night. Abby flinched every time she heard the rustling of the leaves and quickened her steps. It was probably just the wind but it was better to hurry either way. She did not have the whole night.

After jogging for a while she could swear that this time she heard steps behind her. And the faster her pace, re closer the sounds seemed to come. She started running, but just to get to her destination faster. Not because she was afraid or anything.

She yelped when she felt something touch her head.

Luckily, it was just a low-hanging branch. She stooped down and went under it. She had to watch out for that on the way back.

By the time she reached the river the noises had died down. She was looking at the water glimmering in the moonlight and felt at peace. Just a quick dip and she would get back to camp immediately after. She undressed, leaving only her underwear on.

She approached the water slowly and dipped her toe. It was pleasantly cool enough to wash away all her blush-inducing thoughts.

Abby contemplated for a moment, and then hooked her fingers through the waistband of her panties. She might as well swim naked, since there were no other souls to see her.

* * *

 

Just moments earlier Marcus had been walking back from his nightly patrol. He was feeling tense and could not wait to retire to his bed. His day had been strange and tiring, to say the least. 

He had devoted his morning to searching for Abby and trying to figure out how to ask for her forgiveness. Normally he would have brought her a medical herb like at the times she had been angry at him before, but because a flower had started this whole mess Marcus would not take any risks with botanic gifts. 

Truth to be told, he had had no idea how to fix it. He had thought that he had truly ruined it. That is why the way Abby had demanded him to forget the whole thing had perplexed him. And his joy of resolving things with Abby had not lasted long before she had stupefied him with a kiss on the cheek. And then she had ran away to attend to some medical task without even looking at him.

Marcus was only a man. He could not comprehend all these mixed signals directed him all at the same time.

And then after the incident Jasper had caught sight of Abby's lipstick on his cheek. Marcus had ordered him to a toilet duty before the boy had even had the time to properly open his mouth.

That had only made the teasing worse. The rest of the delinquents kept waggling their eyebrows at him long after he had wiped his cheek. Somebody had even congratulated him for making up with his girlfriend. That had only made him feel wretched for the rest of the day because every time somebody even suggested that Abby, amazing, beautiful Abby would want anything to do with him romantically, his heart ached.

He had to think rationally. Whatever was going on with her, she certainly did not want him to entertain even briefly the idea of her as anything of _his_. And she would not have to worry. He had no feelings for her. Of course not.

He had the privilege to be her friend. That would always be enough.

He just wished that he would stop thinking about the feel of her in his arms and the softness of her lips on his skin.

Just as he was about the enter the camp he saw movement by the gate. He squinted his eyes and saw a figure slipping away.

Marcus drew his brow together. Leaving the camp alone, especially after dark was something he had repeatedly advised against. He would not let this stand.

He crept closer, trying to see who the person was. When he saw the familiar brown curls bopping as the figure disappeared into the woods Marcus snapped his eyes shut and sighed. What had he been expecting?

His patrol would not be over quite yet. After dragging Abby back to camp he would end his long day.

He started stalking after Abby, fuming with anger. How could she do this to him? There had been no wolves circulating the camp recently but Abby had to know she was not not allowed to endanger herself. Not on his watch.

His chest tightened when he even thought of something happening to her.

Abby must have heard some noises behind because she started running. Marcus speeded up his pace too, opening his mouth to yell her to stop.

Just then a branch hit him in the face.

He reeled back, barely preventing himself from falling to the ground. His eyes were smarting from being scratched by the twigs and he could not open them without subjecting himself to a horrible pain. He fumbled in the dark until he found a tree trunk to support himself to and spat out some tiny pieces of wood that had ended up in his mouth. Abby's footsteps faded away but he could not go after her before regaining his vision.

He cursed, trying to wipe his eyes to the sleeve of his jacket. _What would the woman want from the woods in the middle of the night?_ Whatever it was, she could have just asked him to accompany her. Although, he might not have been the most approachable person after the cheek kiss. He had more or less panicked and tried to stay away from her for the rest of the day. But she could have tried to seek him out anyway. He felt a little hurt that she had not done that.

Eventually, he could open his eyes carefully and not feel the sting anymore. He saw the object that had hurt him. Marcus wondered if it would be even possible for such a huge tree to have a branch hanging that low.

After wandering around for a while, he spotted some marks of Abby's movements in the moonlight. His safest bet would be the river. Maybe she had needed some weed for a medicine. But it was hard to understand why that could not wait until the morning. Sometimes Abby's impulsiveness baffled him endlessly.

Marcus arrived to the river and looked around. He could not see the woman anywhere.

Then he heard a zipper.

Maybe he had just imagined it. That was an odd sound to hear in the environment where only a few bird calls could disrupt the silence.

He observed the forest line for a while until he grew frustrated and considered retreating.

Just then a figure stood up from a crouched position farther on the riverbank.

At first Marcus could only see a silhouette in the dim light. When he stepped closer to get a better look he could start to distinguish shapes. Very womanly shapes.

The air was knocked out of Marcus's lungs.

Abby was slowly descending into the water, her hair flowing down to her bare back and her curls swaying slightly in the wind. The moonlight highlighted all the parts Marcus never even had imagined he would see, from her slender back to the swell of her buttocks to her impossibly long legs. Her body might as well been molded by gods.

He had wrenched his eyes from her as soon as he had realized what he was watching, but it was too late. The sight would come to haunt him forever, there was no question about it. 

He needed to go before he saw any more of her without her permission. He would turn around and walk some way back, wait for her to arrive dressed and then scold her for going out.

Marcus heard a splash and turned his head around without thinking. Abby had turned on her back to float in the water.

He stumbled backwards. _Just go!_ his mind screamed.

The next thing he knew, he was running. He had to get away from her, away from that sight. He stumbled uphill as fast as he could, as if only pure movement would stifle the flames that had taken over his whole body.

The same branch slammed into his face.

This time he toppled over. 

Marcus ended up laying on his back on the forest floor, blinking at the starry sky. He might just as well stay here, as his yelp had most probably alerted Abby to his presence. His day just kept turning worse and worse. If only the ground he was laying on would now swallow him whole.

"Marcus?" he heard Abby's voice somewhere above him after some time. Marcus opened his eyes.

The woman had wrapped a towel hastily around her. "Are you hurt?" she asked, then seemed to realize the oddness of the situation. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Marcus muttered. But it was hard to be angry at her, especially now when she was looking at him with such a worried expression and so much of her skin was showing that Marcus had a hard time keeping his breath even. 

Abby tried to offer him her hand to lift him back up but the minute her grip of the towel loosened, the material slipped just enough for Marcus to catch a glimpse of something he definitely should not have seen. That dark bud would be another image he would have to try to eradicate from his mind in vain. 

Abby clutched the towel, look of terror in her eyes. Marcus wanted to apologize for seeing that, but he feared that would embarrass her even more.

Marcus propped himself up by himself and staggered to his feet. He tried to focus. What was it that he had been meaning to say to her?  _The wolves. Right._ Marcus opened his mouth to start his lecture but his eyes landed on Abby again. A water droplet had began its journey on her skin, curving in her collarbone and falling to her chest, then disappearing into the gap between her breasts. Marcus gulped and turned his eyes away.

"Night-time swimming is absolutely off-limits," he barked, not at Abby but at the tree to her right. "Are you even aware how dangerous it is here?"

"I feel more unsafe with kids like Jasper Jordan and Monty Green inside the camp that I ever could outside. The wolves have been gone for weeks and _—_ God, Marcus just look at me in the eye!"

Marcus slowly turned his head. To his surprise, Abby's eyes were now twinkling from amusement. She was not abashed anymore.

"Am I that hideous?" she asked, chuckling and fiddling with her wet strands of hair.

"No!" he said, maybe a bit too loudly. "I mean, you are the most _—_ "  Marcus waved his hand at her, unable to form any more words.

"Even in this lighting I can see you are blushing like a schoolboy, Marcus," Abby teased.

"I'm sorry," Marcus choked out and lowered his gaze.

"For what?"

"I went after you when I saw you leave the camp. And I saw you by the river."

Now it was Abby's turn to flush. "Oh so you saw me _—_?"

"Yes."

They were wrapped in a tense silence, which was broken a moment later by Abby's laughter. It was like the beautiful sound of tiny bells tinkling had filled the air and Marcus felt himself starting to ease into a smile too.

"I can't believe this. Every time we try to get things normal between us something goes along and makes it even more awkward," she snorted.

"We have totally screwed up this whole friendship stuff, haven't we?" Marcus chuckled.

Abby groaned. "I just want things to be normal again."

"Me too," Marcus said, rubbing his neck. "It feels like we have to walk on egg shells around each other. I think we are beyond that."

"Exactly!" Abby exclaimed. "Let's just be friends again. And what is little nipple-flashing between friends?"

Certainly not _nothing_ based on the slight, uncomfortable tightness of his pants that he was trying his hardest to ignore. He let out a stiff smile and nodded.

"Let's start over. I'm Abby Griffin." She said, offering her hand and this time, making sure the towel was securely around her.

"I'm Marcus Kane. Nice to meet you, Abby." He said and grabbed her hand.

They both realized that this was a bad idea when flashes of their first meeting crossed their minds. Many years back Jake had forced them to shake hands, looking expenctantly at them both, hoping that they would immediately become friends. 

Marcus did not want to think about Jake around his half-naked wife. He cleared his throat.

"Shall we get back to the camp?"

"I just need to get my clothes back on," Abby said, little flustered by the memories too.

Marcus stared at a curious rock formation for some time until Abby had finally shuffled back into her clothes. When Marcus was allowed to turn his eyes again he could not help but notice how Abby shivered. The wind had picked up while she dressed and the cool air had to sting her still soaked body.

"Here, take this," Marcus said and shrugged off his jacket.

"Oh no, I couldn't," Abby tried but Marcus had already draped it over her shoulders. Abby smiled gratefully at him and Marcus felt his stomach turn upside down.

As they started their trek back to the camp and Marcus watched her walking in front of him, completely wrapped in his jacket, he began to realize the magnitude of the trouble he was in.

The way he was currently feeling towards her was not the way you should feel about your friend, especially not about a person who Marcus could not even comprehend being his friend. How had he been ever this lucky?

If he wanted maintain this luck, he would have to stifle these feelings before he could even be able to name them. He would rather die than have Abby be uncomfortable in his presence.

He escorted her all the way back to her room, foolishly not wanting to part from her until the very last second.

And there they were, standing in Abby's doorway and shuffling their feet.

"Thank you for walking me back," Abby finally said. Her cheeks had a warm red tint, a wet lock of hair kept falling on her forehead despite her efforts trying to brush it off, and her clothes were clinging to her perfect body whose every nook was now forever ingrained in his mind.

Abby was so beautiful and he did not deserve to stand there, gawking at her.

When she offered him a shy smile it took every ounce of his self-control not to pull her into his arms and crash his lips onto hers.

Abby hesitated. "Would you maybe want to _—_ "

"Good night," Marcus said quickly and shut the door in her face.

After a moment he heard Abby piping a faint good night back through the door.

He realized he had left his jacket. In spite of that, Marcus turned around and marched away from her quarters before all of his discipline would scatter into the air and he would knock on Abby's door to ask for it back. That would not end well, he knew it because every single muscle in his body was fighting against him, aching to get back to her.

He entered his own quarters, went straight to his tiny bathroom and stepped inside the shower without bothering to shed his clothes off. He twisted the tap open, watched as the water drops grew into a cascade and stepped under the freezing cold water.

And he remained standing there for a long while.


End file.
